He is jealous for me

the one constant love

the voice of affection

    concern

    care

    truth

the Chief Shepherd tending his lambs

    feeding

    leading

    guiding

    protecting    

the quiet in the midst of madness

the safe space always

the fortress

    impenetrable

    steady

the perfect refuge

    arms never tiring

    heart always calm

    words consistently true

loves me 

    in spite of me

    because of Christ

        because I'm His

            created by Him

                for Him

                    to Him

He is jealous for me

    

perpetual peace

“...peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin. The blood of Jesus whispers peace within.”

Remembering, reminding my own thoughts, that the glories to be known in heaven far outweigh the sufferings experienced here.

My eyes drop to circumstances, to pain, to hurt, to future unknowns, to madness, and peace flees.

When Jesus tells us to, “Look and live...” He’s including eternal salvation as well as the day-to-day saving. He wouldn’t have told us that we’ll have troubles in this life unless He knew we’d have troubles in this life, and that those troubles would have myriad of impacts on us - debilitating, aching, questioning, doubting, fighting, hating, drowning, fearing, worrying, struggling. So He followed that with a promise, a bright star. “...but take heart! I have overcome the world!”  The worries and troubles we’ll have are a custard dish in comparison to His enormous vat of hope and abundance.

He is enough. Has always been enough. Will always be enough.

His “enough” is our abundance - of which He doles out abundant peace, peace beyond understanding.   He knew we’d need it. We’d need Him. Desperately.

10.27.2019

exulting at the cost of others' mistakes or trials

so her pride was melted before the world.
so she was publicly embarrassed.
so now people, strangers to her, feel a right to hold her down and heap on more ridicule?
why?

If God commands in 1 Peter 2:17 " Show proper respect to everyone..." where do we get our justification to exult in others' failure? This is in direct opposition of God's other command to love our neighbors.

We ought not to lower ourselves to such disrespectful words and actions.

After all, as Jesus says "the world will know that you're my followers by the way you love."
Our treatment of others reflects Christ.

caveats and conditions and commiseration

There's a major hitch in God's command to husbands and wives, and that hitch is the thing that feels most restrictive, most difficult.  It's the thing that fuels the rebellion stirring in our selfish hearts.

God says, "Wives, respect your husbands in everything," there is no caveat, no "out."  He doesn't say to show respect if the husband is respectable, respectful, or good.  He doesn't command respect when a husband loves his wife well, lives a godly life, or goes to church every week.  He simple tells wives to do it - respect. That's what's hard.  We want there to be a condition.  We want the husband to earn any and all respect we send his way, because that's generally how this earthly life works.  We perform well: we are rewarded well (or we expect to be).  We are kind to some stranger: usually kindness is reciprocated.

But with this simple command, there is no prerequisite.  It's simply a matter of obedience on the part of the wife.  The other command of husbands loving their wives has the same application. There are no conditions to extending love; it is only that we are to love.

Aren't you thankful there are no conditions to God's grace?  I guess if there were, it would not be grace.

Joy!

Knowing that you're following what God wants you to do brings joy -- it's obedience.  Joy does not live alone - it shares tight quarters, or even depends upon, obedience.

5.5.2011

Jesus - Power!

Blind Bartimeus -- Sight!

Lame man -- Walks!

Lazarus -- Alive!

Debts -- Paid!

Sins -- Forgiven!

10 Lepers -- Clean!

Centurion's Son -- Healed!

Daughter of Jairus -- Awake!

Fall on your knees...

The Just
The Holy
The Right
The Good
The King
The Humble
The Creator
The Savior

lies here before you in a manger.
a simple bed
for feeding animals
a simple bed of nourishment for others
hope for eternal promise


The Master
The Judge
The Exalted
The Victor
The Life
The Conqueror
The True God
The Great I AM

sits before you at his throne.
at the right hand of the Father
holy in all he does
right in what he determines
perfect in what he creates
worshiped for who he is

Come, fall on your knees before such a God, such a King, such a Baby as this Jesus, such a Savior.

Fall on your knees
this holy night.
This ground is sacred

living water

Living water

Feeds

Grows

Nourishes

Washes

Cleanses

Sustains

Satisfies

Quenches

Moves

Refreshes

Transports

Regulates

Circulates

Opens

Restores

Where there is Jesus, there is hope. There is living water, active, powerful, keeping. 

“Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.””

‭‭John‬ ‭4:13-14‬

depth

It seems to me that people I encounter are much like a vast body of water.

Each person comes with his or her own level of depth.

There are some that are so deep, my diving gear prohibits me from traveling that far with them.

And with others, I hardly require my snorkel, as we remain strictly at the surface.

I think it's fascinating that the ocean stretches so immeasurably, allowing a variety of depth for a variety of needs.

People are much like that.  Depth mixed with surface is a delicious combination.

Without the depth, I'd never experience the deep reaches of the water, seeing coral reefs, myriad ocean life, hues of blue, or feel the change in temperature and pressure.

Without the surface, I'd miss the warmth of the sunshine, the tiny bodies of fish life, the plants that stretch toward the sunlight, the reflection of the sun on the sandy bottom.

People are a delightful experience, each with his/her unique flavor and complexity.

What a creative God.

Elaina

It was the best of times

It was the worst of times

I was in my third year of college 

I was in a less-than-exciting Shakespeare class 

Enter Elaina Styblo

Somehow, the dreary readings of familiar plays took on a new light, a new life

Elaina and I met, partnered up as assignment forced us together, and began a 16-year friendship. 

She brought the laughs, the light, the wit, the Blues Brothers, the challenge to my thinking. 

We sipped coffee, shared life, watched movies, quoted lines, played Shakespearean roles for our class, laughed till sides ached when the British student teacher walked straight into an easel while trying to cooly wave our way. We talked books, marriage, Jesus, Mao, and Freddy Mercury. Dietrich Bonhoeffer took on a whole new dimension through the eyes of Elaina.  I learned more about Oscar Romero than I knew about the first martyr Stephen. I loved sharing life with Elaina, and it makes me ache when I realize she's no longer a text away. I no longer have her witty comments in an instant. I miss her perspective, her passion, her perseverance. 

I text her: "We're watching "Lincoln" tonight. Have you seen it?" She writes back: "I've not seen it, but I don't think it ends well for Lincoln."  

She said the things I wished I could say but feared to verbalize. And, she said them well. 

A Chinese friend stands at the ladies' tea to share how she's experienced love in my church; she is a stranger to Elaina. No matter. E has encouragement for anyone in her path, stranger or not. Chinese friend: "I'm so sorry. My English is not very good." We're at the neighboring table, so E says, "Right. Your English is awful. You should hear my Chinese!"

So, what sticks with me? How am I better for having known Elaina Styblo? She was the real deal. I got what everyone else got. She was no chameleon. She was true. I left her each time with the reminder that it was okay, and expected, that I embrace who I am. God, the unique Creator, takes great delight in me, in each of His designs. 

Thank You, God, for Elaina. Thank you for her life. Thank you for her giving, investing, pursuing, hoping, loving life. May I be to others what she was to me. 

living deliberately in meaninglessness

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.  I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary.  I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account in my next excursion.  For most men, it appears to me, are in a strange uncertainty about it, whether it is of the devil or of God, and have somewhat hastily concluded that it is the chief end of man here to "glorify God and enjoy him forever."   -Walden, Henry David Thoreau

He was a known pursuer of life.
Of its essence,
its scent,
its meaning,
its recourse,
its location,
its heart.

Not much unlike the wisest, Solomon, who came to the end of his study to find meaningless, vanity, in all things pursued here apart from God.  When stripped away from its blanket of finery, life reveals God Himself as the chief end of our pursuing.

"Remember your Creator
    in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
    and the years approach when you will say,
    “I find no pleasure in them”—
Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
    and the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
    and the wheel broken at the well,
 and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
    and the spirit returns to God who gave it." 
Ecclesiastes 12:1, 6-7

Remember, and keep remembering, that it is indeed God Who is our only source of true meaning, of absolute Truth itself.

the means to the end

if my husband had been diagnosed with a disease, I could share that freely with others.  It would in no way cause others to put up a strike against him; rather, it would endear him to them.

As it is, there is no incurable disease ravaging this home today.
No tragic accident locking us to the local hospital.
Nor a chronic sickness that saps strength, mind, emotions.

I simply deal with my own attitude and heart health in light of past and present failures, wrongs, and uncertainties. 

How do I daily take up my cross?
How do I daily extend olive branches?
How do I daily exercise humility and forgiveness?
How do I daily put on love and put off any myriad of sins that inhibit my growth?

Knowing God's statement, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord" does not keep me from wondering why He chooses what He chooses to refine.
It doesn't stop me from wondering why He seems to be retracing steps and reteaching something He showed and taught so long ago in my faith walk with Him.

His means to His end for me is vastly different than anything I would ever select to encounter were it left up to me.

These valleys are deep, sometimes dark, oftentimes lonely.

There it is that He reminds me that not only is His light sufficient and perfect for those dark and dank valleys, but His steady love has never left me alone.  

It is this love that takes me to the precipice then provides a way over, sometimes a way through.  
It is this love that identifies my greatest needs and fashions the means to meet them.
It is this love that keeps me from falling too far, that steadies my step, disciplines my selfish heart.
It is this love that remained on the cross, that didn't put a halt to the sacrifice of Christ.
It is this love that I cling to, that I need, that I hunger for, that meets me and satisfies me.

His means to His end for me is vastly different than anything I would ever select to encounter were it up to me.  Thankfully, it's not solely up to me.  Thankfully, He loves perfectly so His ways and means are, for me, perfect.

Make my heart believe it, Lord.


 

a different pain

Waiting is painful at times, depending on the object of the wait.

A Disney line wait isn't so bad...happy people, line activities or distractions, food to munch in the meantime.

A Christmas morning wait is a full-heart wait, completely worthwhile and almost giggle-inducing.

But, even those two waits can change and become heart-laden depending on the circumstances for the individual.

My boy is sick, so I'm waiting it out...how sick is he?  Doctor sick?  Bed rest sick?  Is Advil helping these relentless headaches?  Eye doctor appointment is two weeks away...seems like forever when I'm waiting for answers.

And then in the midst of it all, I remember that even Jesus waited on God's timing in coming to earth, waited on Him in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before He stood trial, the night before bearing the weight of the world's sin while on the cross.  And so, in light of that, I wait and remember:

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." 
Psalm 27:14

a lovely dream

first little publication

http://burnsidewriters.com/2013/03/31/scarlet-redemption/

My goal in writing is to one day reach many, and when I do, to tirelessly point readers to the great Author, Jesus.

the ends of the spectrum

It was the best of times
it was the worst of times.

It was the age of hope
it was the age of despair.

It was the age of beginning
it was the age of finality.

It was the age of peace
it was the age of grief.

It was the age of joy
it was the age of sorrow.

It was the age of beauty
it was the age of pain.

It was the age of abundance
it was the age of isolation.

It was the age of fullness
it was the age of loneliness.

It was the age of abandon
it was the age of restraint.

It was the age of hope and salvation
it still is.

God is the same now as He was in Genesis, in the desert, on the cross, in the prophecies, with the martyrs.

God offers new beginnings, hope, peace, joy, beauty, abundance, fullness, salvation.  In Him there is rest.  Lay claim to Him.  He is all we have, all we need; I believe that with all my heart.

Undivided

Lord, please make my heart toward you undivided.

"...from Zebulun, experienced soldiers prepared for battle with every type of weapon, to help David with undivided loyalty—50,000..." I Chronicles 12:33

love the picture of soldiers fighting, yielding, giving with "undivided loyalty."

"Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." Psalm 86:11

and, I'm pondering how the two - an undivided heart and fearing God go hand in hand...

"I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 11:19

lovely picture of God's people purging from their midst and their lives "detestable idols" and "vile images" - anything they might worship or love more than Him.

"I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord." 1 Corinthians 7:35

...Paul speaking to unmarried men and women, but it's a great reminder for me that undivided devotion to the Lord may require more intentionality because I have a husband and children...

Please, Lord, give me an undivided heart.

2 small revelations

Revelation 1: I noticed tonight during the local youth baseball game that people were talking...a lot. 
Really, they seemed to relish the very art of conversation. 

There was a constant hum, an endless chatter.
And, I began to wonder at our desire and ability at communication.

Why do we like it so much, and what does that have to do with God?
I like to remember how He says we're made in His image (Genesis 1:26), which means we reflect Him....in most everything we do.  Our very essence breathes His own.

So, if we're made in the image of God, and we love communicating, talking, sharing, laughing, listening, then, we can be certain that God is the master Communicator.  He, after all, authored the Bible.

Revelation 2: This is our 14th wedding anniversary, which always causes me to be more ponderous and reflective...thinking over the years, mulling over trials, suffering, good days.

Those reflections led to a mini revelation in my heart today.  I've bemoaned past trials and challenges, wishing at times that things would have been pieced together differently, within a perhaps tidier and neater package.

In the middle of those mind meanderings, it dawned on me that nothing can enter my domain without it first having passed through the okay of Christ Himself.  As He is owner of all, and as all (including the Evil One) must yield and submit to Him, He has the final word on what befalls me.  I remembered how Joseph told his brothers, " You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:20) 

God's desire for me is good, His good, which may be defined differently than my good.  God's intention is to refine me, to grow me, to discipline me, to use whatever means He chooses to effect the changes He desires.  He purposes to conform me to Himself, and if that requires some high waters, tumultuous storms, terrifying fires, or dry wastelands, He will do it.  His desire is good for me, good for me.  Not just good like a tasty ice-cream but good as in character-shaping, identity-defining, readiness-equipping, Christ-conforming good.

I have fought it, resisted, mourned over what was lost, tasted bitter roots of days gone, wept for life changed; but today, God showed me in this mini revelation that He is truly working all things together for my good.  And, now I'm understanding that this does not simply mean lining things up to make my day a good one, or to bring good from a bad situation; rather, He issues troubles, trials in order to obtain the good He has in store.  These sufferings are His means to His end.

Please give me arms to embrace the thorny memories and trials to come, a mind that trusts that You know what You're doing, and a heart that welcomes these refineries with hospitality and thanksgiving.

I need You.

a morning with the Lord in Jeremiah 29

It is a dark day for the Israelites.  They are in the land of Babylon as exiles.  God commanded them to go, to be subjugated by King Nebuchadnezzar, promising consequences and punishment if they did not obey.

Most obeyed the Lord and entered into exile in the land of Babylon; however, some Israelites remained behind, setting up a king and listening to false prophets.

While God promised consequences to those who remained behind their fellow Israelites, He also promised hope, a future, and restoration to those who yielded to Babylonian captivity: ‘They will be taken to Babylon and there they will remain until the day I come for them,’ declares the Lord. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’” Jeremiah 27:22

He reinstates His promise and plan in Jeremiah 29 via a letter written from Jeremiah to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon, reminding the Israelites that there is hope.  When seventy years of captivity in Babylon have been completed, they will return to Jerusalem.  He instructs them, “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. ⁶ Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. ⁷ Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:5-7

The Lord then reminds those in Jeremiah 29:16-19 who remained behind in Jerusalem the very promise He made in Jeremiah 27:8 if they were disobedient to His will:  "...but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile— ¹⁷ yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. ¹⁸ I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse and an object of horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. ¹⁹ For they have not listened to my words,” declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets."

He reminds my heart this morning that my sin will not go unnoticed, that disobedience is abhorrent to Him, and that He desires a pure heart and clean hands.  He requires obedience, and He, in His way, will bless the obedient.  Obedience is a beautiful response; it is a bending of my will to His, yielding myself to His directive, humbling my heart to enter into sweet harmony with His.  Make it so in my life, Lord.

we're all pointing somewhere

i'd like to be a real girl,
a down-to-earth, honest, genuine girl.

i'd like to shower folks with love,
kindness, listening, camaraderie, truth.

i'd like to do this without pointing to me;
i want to be the real deal with people and love them without being the focus.

i'd like to live in such a way that others receive good fruit from me,
but they all realize its source is not my own heart,
it's Christ.

We are all pointing to something, someone, somewhere.
I have the option of pointing to my circumstances, whether happy or dire.

I have the option of pointing to myself, to what I think I've accomplished,
to the cookies I bake, the blankets I crochet, the children I teach, blah blah blah.

Or, I have the option every time of pointing to Christ.
Here's how I am today, and here is where I am with Jesus,
what He's teaching, how He showed His faithfulness and mercies again this morning,
how He is loving me through this dark valley.

If I want to worship Jesus, I focus on Him;
if I want those around me to worship Him, my role is to do what I can to point to Him, not me.

It's one thing for me to be honest about how I'm doing; it's another thing to distract people from God while talking about myself.

Our circumstances are not for us to glean sympathy or pity from others but to glorify Christ and show Him as faithful to others in the midst of our circumstances.

We are commanded to face our difficulties and trials with joy...

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."  James 1:2-4

O, Lord, do this through me; I need You desperately.